20 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 
NOTES AND NEWS. 
Professor Harris J. Ryan, of Cornell University, is appointed 
Professor of Electrical Engineering at Stanford University. 
Columbia University, New York City, has received a gift of 
$50,000 from Mr. Edward D. Adams, to found a research fel- 
lowship in physical science, in memory of Ernest K. Adams, 
son of the donor. 
Those who wish to obtain sane and authentic information 
upon the subject of ‘‘Radio-Activity’’ should read the recent 
work of Professor E. Rutherford, which discusses the matter 
in a ‘‘calm and judicial manner’’ freed from speculation and 
unwarranted hypotheses. 
Southern California is becoming noted for its yield of gems. 
Turquoise and opal of marked excellence have been obtained 
from the Mohave desert. Rare tourmaline, spodumene and 
other crystals are being mined near Pala, in San Diego county, 
and the field is wide open for further discovery. 
It is reported that Mr. Andrew Carnegie has given 
$540,000 to supplement a fund of $270,000, which has grown 
from an original donation by Benjamin Franklin, of $5,000, 
bestowed a century ago. The total amount will be devoted to 
the forming in Boston of an establishment like the Cooper 
Institute of New York City. 
The National Geographic Magazine, the organ of the Na- 
tional Geographic Society, in its December issue, has several 
timely and valuable articles, fully illustrated. Relef maps of 
Alaska, Porto Rico and the Philippine Islands, illustrate the 
government telegraphic system. Hon. Jno. W. Foster con- 
tributes a most acceptable paper on China. Dr. J. D. Hague 
gives the results of careful study made in a cruise of the U. 8.- 
ship Tacoma, sent to investigate doubtful islands in the Pacific 
along the sailing course between Panama and Hawaii. The 
results are extremely interesting, but cannot be detailed here. 
A review of W. K. Fisher’s ‘‘Birds of Laysan Island, H. I.,’’ 
with illustrations of vast droves of the albatross, makes good 
reading, and other abstracts of value appear in this number. 
The January issue, forthcoming, will contain a chart of the 
world, showing all submarine cable systems and connections 
and also the steamship routes of the world. 
There are sent out with this issue Plates 1 and 2, illustrating Pre- 
historic California, by Dr. L. G. Yates. These belong with the issue for 
December, 1904, (Vol. III), and should be inserted: 
Plate 1, between Pages 154 and 155. 
Plate 2, between Pages 156 and 157. 
The Index to Volume III, 1904, is in press and will be mailed with 
the February number of The Bulletin. 
